ComplaintsforLittle Giant Manufacturing Company, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  10/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Our church needed a new baptistry water heater. I ordered ********** from Little Giant Manufacturing *** on April 30th,2023. The cost was on my credit card of $475. plus tax. The ad said allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery. I Received the water heater the first week of October. I had our licensed plumber install the new heater. I then had our licensed electrician wire the unit. We set a date of October 22nd as a baptismal service at our church. On Friday October 20th we filled the baptistry and then turned on the water heater. No light came on the unit but we left it on until the next day to see if it would heat the water. Saturday it was still not working so we had to cancel our baptismal service. Monday October 23rd I spoke with *** at Little Giant. He was defensive about the product being defective. He began statements like did you have a friend install it or did you have the tub filled with water before turning on the power and on and on. I shared that we have done baptismal services many times and the heater was installed by licensed professionals. *** said, have the electrician bypass the thermostat to see if it will heat the water we did and the light came on and it began heating the water. *** said now you can have your baptismal service but the heater now has a safety issue because it will not stop heating the water without the thermostat connected. He said remove the thermostat and ship it to me but it will be 32 weeks before we can send you a new one. Later after we removed this small thermostat *** called and said I spoke with ********************* the supplier and he said no don't send the thermostat unless it is attached to the heating element which is the internal part of the heater. I said just send us a new thermostat and let's be done with this. He said I told you how long it would take to get this replaced. I told him this is horrible customer service Wait six months on a purchased product then not be able to use it.

  Business response

  11/14/2023

  ******** did order a 6KW heater on April 30th. I can only tell the customer what the mfg of the element tells me. I do not mfg the element which also has a high limit switch and thermostat. When we finally did receive the element it had been tested by product control, nothing wrong with element. After reading his comment you would think they would have tested the heater before the service, which leads me to believe the electrician wired the unit wrong or cut the heater on with no water. It makes no sense that if I hired an electrician, and paid him to install the heater, I would make sure the heater worked. For some reason they assumed the heater was good to go. Again nothing wrong with the heater when it left our plant. I feel certain it was not wired correct, or someone cut the heater on with no water in the baptistry. My grandfather started this business in ****, we pride ourselves on being honest and providing excellent customer service. We have no idea what ******** did. I find it strange he has yet to return the element. Let me assure you I issued him a return authorization number to return, which has not happened. He wanted me to send him a new thermostat, period.  Without question USER ERROR. 

  Customer response

  11/16/2023

   
  Complaint: 20789633
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I no longer trust this business and especially this guy. I'm sure his grandfather ran the business in a more professional manner than it currently being run. It seems his mind is made up about his product and no matter what, he will blame the customer. We have followed at our expense, his instructions to the letter. He instructed us to bypass the thermostat and we did then the heater would heat but there is no controlling the heat temperature and its unsafe. He said then you have a bad thermostat so let me check on a replacement. When I called him back, he said, after us waiting six months for the heater, that the thermostat would be another 32 weeks. He started that we had done the damage although we had it professionally installed by a licensed plumber and electrician. He said someone turned the power on without water in the baptistry and it burned up the thermostat. No one did that and if they had it would have burned up the heating element as well and he knows that.  I want to send this product back for a full refund on my credit card and be done with this business. This is an actual response from him to me.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    ( I have answered your complaint what really happened. I will not share with you what i said. Tempco made the element , not ********** (LIE NUMBER ONE. I was very helpful on our phone conversation. ( LIE NUMBER TWO) You never returned the element. You a worthless human in my opinion. Tempco made the element not me    Sent I have told you it is not my fault ********** has a 32 week lead time on thermostats. I will email you Monday the email they sent me. Maybe you should report ********** to theBBB ,and, the Attorney General since they manufacture the stats , not me. Not very happy about the threats. Feel free to contact anyone you want, what follows will be disaster for you my iPhone. We have been in business since ****, which tells me we must be doing right
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  Business response

  11/17/2023

  I have been 100percent honest. Why cant he understand i do not mfg. the thermostat or the element. I have no control what these 2companies tell me . I am just as upset as this guy is. I have at least 20 thermostats on back order from other customers, all of which understand the issue is not my fault. I could care less who installed the heater, just because he is a qualified man does not mean they dont make mistakes Again I have a very hard time understanding why the guy let the installers go without making sure everything worked. The thermostat was fine went it left my plant. He has not idea if the system worked or not which can mean only one thing USER MISTAKE. I cannot convince him plumbers,and electricians are human,and make mistakes without even knowing they made one. Again the unit should have been tested before they left. ******** assumed all was good. I have pointed out two lies.

  Customer response

  11/18/2023

   
  Complaint: 20789633
  
  I am rejecting this response because: All we are getting done is going back and forth. I bought a defective piece of equipment from little giant. It had a defective thermostat and that has been proven because when it is bypassed the heater will work. He has stated to me since the first conversation that it is tested before it leaves so it has to be customer error 100%. He states we turned power on before the tub was filled thus burning the stat not so. He knows that power to the unit without water ***** up the heating element and the heater still works although it has no thermostat control. According to him for over one hundred years everything that leaves their building is flawless without human or equipment error. I find it odd that he finally admitted in the last response that he is waiting on 20 thermostats right now for customers that have a bad thermostat. How can that be from a company that never ships a flawed or damaged piece of equipment. I can't believe this company or its owners' juvenile behavior. To call customers that simply want to be treated fairly immature and threaten them if they seek justice that it will end in disaster for them to me is unbelievable. I will buy a new water heater from a reputable company so we are set at church. I will continue based on principle, my pursuit of a complete refund through other means. Thanks, and to any church looking for any kind or purchase run don't walk from this company.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  Business response

  11/27/2023

  This man is so unreasonable, he will not admit i did NOT make the thermostat he is seeking. After the plumber, and electrical left the project, ******** assumed all was good to go----IT WAS NOT. This guy did not check the installment of element out before letting them go. As i have stated twice before, he simply needs to return the element for credit. The manufacture TEMPCO ELECTRIC will inspect the heater, and state to see what happened. I feel the electrician turned the heater on, by accident, with no water in the baptistry's a result the thermostat is no good. The electrician did not have water in the baptistry, and I would not think he wanted to hang around to fill baptistry.

  This mishap was fault of my company, or,Tempco, or Robertshaw ( stat mfg)  Please get back with me on your findings.

  Thanks,*******************************

  Customer response

  11/27/2023

   
  Complaint: 20789633
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  The owners' many responses over and over states he blames the electrician or the plumber and/or the church for a problem with his product but it doesn't stop there. He turns the blame on his suppliers. He knows we did nothing wrong because the heater will work now it just can't be controlled by a thermostat. He knows full well that a baptistry water heater turned on with the tub empty of water will immediately ruin the heating element.  He also asks me why I don't pursue his suppliers for the problem. I bought this baptistry heater from Little Giant Manufacturing not his suppliers. He wants me to send in a part at my expense to supposedly be checked out but in every response from him he states 100% customer error. So how can I feel good about trusting this guy with anything. I will have to pursue a more costly approach in a civil procedure to get justice from his company. Thank BBB for trying to help resolve this matter.  ****** post my review of this company to help other consumers.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  Business response

  12/08/2023

  ******** is not being truthful. I have asked him several times to return the element, he wants to make the rules and only send the thermostat back. I have talked to the **** {TEMPCO } located in *******. They are not going to change their return policy for him. EXAMPLE: If ******** buys a new FRIDG. from ****** and the ice maker goes bad, ***** does not replace the item.  It is sent to the manufacture for repair, or replacement. I have never stated 100% customer error. I have asked this element to be returned, I still don't have it. The manufacture needs to inspect the element. I am only a supplier.  I welcome  ******************* to pursue with a civil action if he chooses to do so. He went so far as to send a complaint to the Attorney General, after my explanation to them, his complaint was dismissed.

  To repeat: I have a RA # to return the element to Tempco to inspect if no changes were made to the element.  .

  I have only stated the truth. There must be some reason he will not return the element.   If he chooses to return, He can use RA# *** 12/12/23. 

   

  Thank you

  ***

  Customer response

  12/08/2023

   
  Complaint: 20789633
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Again this guy in my opinion can't be trusted to do the right thing. I'm not shipping it back at my expense for him to just say customer error as he has stated from the start. *** instructed me to have the electrician remove the thermostat to see if the element would heat. I did that and the heater worked, then he said no it has to come back as one item thermostat and element together. He will most likely lie and say he never instructed me to have the thermostat removed and deny a replacement. *** can't be trusted.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  10/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Online order was placed on 4/17/2023 for a 11.5Kw baptistry water heater. Little Giant replied that order has been received and was being processed. On May 1, 2023 I sent an email requesting an update on the status of my order #****. Little Giant replied that it could be 6 to 8 weeks. On July 3, 2023 I sent another email requesting the status of my order. Little Giant replied that it could be another month. Did not record the date, but at least a month ago, I called Little Giant and spoke with *** who told me he was having problems acquiring parts for these unit. At that point I requested cancelling the order and ask for a refund. I have not received credit for this purchase on my credit card. I have copies of the transaction as well as the corresponding emails with Little Giant.

  Customer response

  11/27/2023

  ********* called the BBB and stated that he received a call from the company last week and he received his refund on his cc.  He got the cc stated over the weekend and wanted to let BBB know that this is resolved and there are no hard feelings and he plans on doing business with this company in the future.
   
  
  **********************

• Initial Complaint

  03/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Placed an order with Little Giant through ******. Little Giant did not meet ******  so ****** cancelled the order. Several days after the order arrived. ****** said it could not be paid through them, so I contacted Little Giant and spoke to ****** ******* to confirm payment amount. Received her email on 3/7. Wrote a check and didn't think about it again. Today while attempting other church business, I find that Little Giant has a loss prevention alert on the credit card used on ****** as though fraud took place. Very disappointed . Considering the time it took to receive the part( first order in January then given several due dates with a final date of 2/13) and the cancellation by ****** that they are acting like the cancellation took place on my part and is an act of fraud.Can not believe the company works with churches operating in this manner.

  Business response

  04/06/2022

  This has been resolved.

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